Belfast boxer Brian Magee confirms boxing ban

Belfast boxer Brian Magee has confirmed he is currently serving a six-month ban for use of the banned stimulant Oxilofrine after he tested positive in the wake of his third round defeat to Mikkel Kessler in a WBA super-middleweight title challenge in Denmark last December.

“I was in total shock when I was told I had tested positive, and I honestly thought someone was playing a joke,” Magee said.

“All I could think was I could get a lifetime ban or even a two-year ban which at my age would have meant my career was as good as over.

“I have had 30 or 40 tests in my career and never tested positive. I have always been extremely careful about everything I have taken, and I didn’t do anything differently before the Kessler fight.”

Magee said he consumed the banned substance via a contaminated over-the-counter supplement he had been using to combat a cold. He is considering legal action against the supplier.

In other news, Cork fighter Spike O’Sullivan surrendered his unbeaten record and his WBO International middleweight title in a points defeat to England’s Billy Joe Saunders at Wembley Arena on Saturday night.